I'll Make it Right
by Valkyrie Wilde
Summary: Seifer lets a moment with Quistis slip and then has to find her to make it up her. Fluff


There was a lovely partying going on at what used to be the orphanage, newly remodeled into the beautiful home of Cid and Edea Kramer

There was a partying going on at what used to be the orphanage; newly remodeled into the beautiful home of Cid and Edea Kramer. The celebration was for the Kramer's anniversary. Friends and family were scattered inside and around the house. Off to the side of the house, amidst the seemingly endless field were tall poles strung with lights. Many people could be found there dancing to the soft music or chatting away under the stars and little lights. A sweet summer breeze carried the warm sea air through the crowd of people. It playfully swirled through tall flowers and made the hems of skirts and dresses flutter in its wake.

Quistis stood away from the group of people, facing the vast field with her eyes closed, a smile tugging at her lips. Her hands brushed the tops of tall flowers as they swayed this way and that. She felt free and at peace with nothing but her thoughts. The breeze tickled her skin. She took a deep breath of the salty air as memories of her childhood came back to her in bits and pieces. Her skin began to tingle as she felt the presence of the person who came to stand silently behind her.

"I've been looking for you." He said, but she didn't respond. "What are you thinking about?" His deep voice asked softly.

"Nothing." She sighed, opening her eyes.

After a moment of silence she turned her head back to look at him. She smiled to herself, noting how handsome he looked when he dressed up. Seifer stood looking at her with an expressionless face. He wore black slacks with an un-tucked grey dress shirt, whose sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, that was open just enough to see the black t-shirt underneath. She turned her head forward and sighed aloud.

"What?" He asked her, walking to stand beside her.

"It's just personal things." She said very low. In her mind she knew she was riling him up, and there really was no reason for it, but she was ready to continue pushing his inquisitive buttons if he persisted.

He made an indistinct noise, muttering some cynical remark like 'yeah right'. He shifted, taking his hand out of his pocket and letting it drop beside hers. His index finger softly caressed her hand until she mimicked his movements and he was able to lightly intertwine a few of their fingers. A soft, satisfied blush flushed her cheeks when he did this. He made no other move to touch her or move closer, only looked forward in silence.

For the past few months Quistis and Seifer had grown extremely close. As far as their relationship went, they remained good friends. Little things like hand holding had become a common occurrence as of late. Feelings were still questionable, but it was obvious that something was there. Naturally, Quistis had been the first to acknowledge it. Seifer preferred not to think about it, and whatever happened, happened. Where this progression of feelings and endearments would lead was anyone's guess.

Quistis, being the analytical person she was, was bothered by this. She wanted direction, knowledge, something with definite answers. Knowing there would be none only added to her frustration. Regardless, she enjoyed these moments with Seifer and assumed he felt the same way since they kept happening. Felling bold, she adjusted her fingers so they were now holding hands. Her cheeks were almost burning when he looked down at this and she saw he was smiling.

"How the hell can you see anything way out here, it's so dark?" Seifer asked, trying to think of anything except how holding her hand made him feel.

"So much happened here…I just can't seem to remember." Her brow knotted as she continued to talk; also noticing that Seifer had moved a few inches closer so that their arms were now touching. He kept quiet and let her talk. "I feel as though a part of me is missing and for the life of me I can't bring it back. At times I think I remember something, but I can never tell if it's real or if I dreamt it. It makes me sad sometimes." She became quiet, her shoulders dropping downward. Her gaze fell to the knee height flowers that surrounded them as if they would bring her childhood back.

"Maybe it's for the best." He leaned his face against her head, letting his lips touch her temple. "I wish I could forget them again. They weren't the best times in our lives, Quistis." His tone was sorrowful as he looked at her sullen face.

She looked up to face him. His eyes were shining with the light from the stars. They seemed to engulf her which would usually be a good thing, but not at that moment. As she looked into his eyes, she felt as though she was drowning in his emotions. She saw pain, confusion, regret, and all of his insecurities that he tried so hard to hide. He and she, as well as the rest of the world had made much progress in rebuilding everything from cities, buildings, and alliances, to trust and friendships. But there were some things that couldn't be made right, and some wounds that would never heal.

"I'm sorry." She said solemnly, moving so they were facing each other.

He put his forehead to hers, offering her a smirk to brush off further discussion. She knew it was fake and only frowned at him for trying to hide behind his ego. This only succeeded in making his eyes grow darker.

"This is supposed to be a happy night." He said distantly; bring their hands up between them. His eyes focused on the contact.

"I am happy."

"Are you really?" He kept looking at their hands.

"You make me happy." She was shocked at herself. The words came out of her mouth before she had time to think of a response. Her eyes looked up at him to find he was staring at her. Her heart pumped in her chest and her face was hot with embarrassment.

Time seemed to stand still. Their eyes were locked and the tension between them was palpable. Quistis's heart was pounding so hard and fast against her chest she could hear it echo in her ears. She never felt so useless in all her life. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't think. She was frozen in anticipation; anticipation of what she didn't know.

His gaze left hers for a moment to look at her mouth. 'Oh God, please kiss me!' Was the first coherent thought that finally came to her. His eyes closed and hers fluttered shut too. Her lungs were now begging for air. What seemed like an eternity but was actually only a few seconds was suddenly shattered.

"Hey, Seifer!" A female voice called out. "Seifer, is that you?"

Before Quistis even had the chance to open her eyes Seifer had let go of her hand and moved a few steps away with his back now facing her.

"Yeah?" He asked the girl, as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting."

Quistis nearly gasped for air as her eyes shot open to see Seifer's back and half of Rinoa's body. She felt dizzy and cold despite the warm weather.

"No." He replied nonchalantly, putting a hand in his pocket casually.

"Dance with me." One hand was on her hip and the other was extended out, waiting for him to take it.

"Sure." He answered; Quistis could hear the smile in his voice. He took the offered hand and walked off without so much as a glace back.

Quistis was left standing in shock. She was far more than a little angry and confused and very much hurt. Her initial thoughts were to scream. Cracking her whip at Seifer seemed very appealing. The thought of wrapping her whip around Rinoa's neck was equally tempting. But then she dismissed it quickly. At one point they had been friends, but they had been lovers too.

Rinoa and Squall hadn't been together for some time and after that she went her way and the others went theirs. Quistis remembered several conversations with Rinoa and Selphie about the summer Rinoa had spent with Seifer. More than once Rinoa had claimed to be in love with Seifer, and even during her relationship with Squall she couldn't seem to resolve exactly what her feelings were and just let if alone. Seifer on the other hand never talked about it. But his actions during the Timber mission gave Quistis enough to come to her own conclusions.

Her legs felt weak and her head felt like it was floating. She needed to get away. She needed to be alone. Another sea breeze made her aware of the sting in her eyes. She refused to cry here. She refused to be the girl in movies and novels that ended up in a corner for hours before someone found her crying over a boy who had hurt her feelings. She wouldn't have it.

With a deep shaking breath, she walked the best she could on unsteady legs back into the house. Her SeeD trained mind already had a plan. She was going to sneak into the backyard, inconspicuously make her way down to the beach and find a quiet, reclusive area where she wouldn't be found. She was halfway through the house when Edea grabbed her arm tenderly.

"Quistis, are you alright? You look a little flushed." Concern was evident in her eyes and tone.

"Oh I'm fine." Quistis smiled lazily. "I just had a little too much champagne." She chuckled, throwing her arms around Edea in a light hug. "Happy anniversary! This is such a beautiful party."

"Oh thank you." Edea blushed. "Why don't you get some fresh air, it might help."

"Thank you, I will."

Luckily for Quistis, a group of women were hailing Edea for her attention. She was off with a happy smile and a soft caress of Quistis' face. Quistis breathed a sigh of relief before continuing to her destination. With any luck, she'd make it out before anyone else she knew stopped her for chit-chatting and gossip. As it happened, things were never that simple. Selphie grabbed Quistis and nearly yanked her away just as she neared the back door.

"Hey Quistis, what's wrong? You look like you've been crying." Selphie, ever the observant, caring, overactive, sister-type girl Quistis loved so much.

"I just need some air." She choked out, her eyes glossy to her disdain. She knew there was no point in putting up a façade around Selphie, she would see right through it.

"What happened? Are you feeling okay?" Selphie moved in closer, blocking the view of Quistis' face just in case anyone was watching. She put her champagne flute on the windowsill and rubbed Quistis' back in a soothing manner. "You want me to go get Seifer to take you home?"

Quistis' eyes darted in the general direction of where everyone was dancing. "I know you're just trying to help, Selphie, but please just let me be." Quistis gave a sad smile and slinked away from her friend. She practically ran through the back door and disappeared down the steps onto the beach.

Selphie watched her as Quistis ran away; she wanted desperately to run after her. Her eyes were flashing with worry, but if she knew Quistis, it was best to leave alone for a while. She looked around, scanning the crowd. She remembered the glace Quistis gave and took off in the general direction. On her way she was stopped by Edea.

"Oh Selphie, have you seen Quistis? Is she alright now?" Edea's face was flushed from the alcohol, but she still carried herself well.

"I think so." Selphie lied. "She went outside to get some air."

"That's good." She gave Selphie's hand a soft squeeze before turning her attention back to the people she was talking to.

Selphie was ardently looking for a certain blonde as she pushed her way though people and ended up at the front of the house. She followed a paved path into the flower field where people were dancing on an elevated wooden dance floor. Instantly Selphie saw him; he cut a pretty distinctive figure. He was moving through the crowd, dancing she presumed. She made her way closer to try to get his attention when her heart seemed to skip a beat. The pieces of the puzzle came together and everything made sense. Seifer was dancing with Rinoa, his hands low on her back and her face nuzzled into his chest.

'Poor Quistis. What has he done?' Selphie thought to herself. "Seifer!" She practically shouted.

Affectively getting his attention, she waved her arms frantically indicating for him to go to her. He took a moment to tell Rinoa he was leaving before walking towards Selphie. Before he had the chance to ask her what she wanted she gripped his wrist and pulled him aside where there weren't so many people. He followed her reluctantly. They stopped when they were out of sight.

"What is this about?" He asked, confused.

"What did you do to Quistis?" She demanded with both hands on her hips and her head tilted up to look at him.

"I didn't do anything to her." He answered coolly. "Why?"

"What were you doing with Rinoa?" She asked like a curious child afraid to be reprimanded for a question that probably shouldn't be asked.

"We were just dancing." He shrugged.

"Oh." Selphie was quite for a moment. "You know she cares about you…a lot. It's not easy for her to see you with Rinoa." Selphie was pouting thinking about how she saw Quistis take off.

"What? You've got to be kidding me." He racked a hand through his hair. He vaguely recalled how he did suddenly leave her to go dance with Rinoa. He groaned.

Selphie misinterpreted the groan as him feeling like Quistis was overreacting. "What do you expect!?" She shouted, making Seifer inch back. "You two have been having your little thing, right? You really hurt her feelings."

"Where is she?"

"She ran down to the beach crying." Selphie stressed the latter word, part of her hoping it would make him feel guilty.

"Dammit!" He turned suddenly and made his way as fast as he could into the house.

Selphie watched him go, briefly wondering if it was good or bad for him to chase after Quistis. Surly, Quistis would scold her for it later. Selphie decided it would be worth it as long as they made up and everything turned out well. She made her way back to the party, wanting to catch up with Rinoa.

"Seifer, we never finished that dance." Rinoa said, tugging on his arm as he was about to pass her.

"Mayabe later." He said, releasing himself from her grip and continuing on.

Seifer walked a ways down the beach without spotting her. It wasn't until he neared the small dock that he could hear her crying softly. Guilt ricocheted in his chest when he heard her; she sounded so sad. At the same time, he couldn't quite understand why she would be crying about it. But he supposed that he kind of acted like an asshole; or more so, he figured that's what she thought. Not wanting to be perceived as danger and be on the receiving end of an attack, he called out to her.

"Quistis?" He said, taking slow steps down the dock, his eyes searching for her. He heard her gasp and try to stifle her crying but he still didn't see her. "Where are you?" He asked, answering his own question when he reached the end of the dock and saw her sitting at the end with her knees to her chest.

She looked up at him, her eyes wild with emotion. There was a moment that they just looked at each other. But she broke it when she panicked looking past him and then turning to the water getting ready to jump in.

"What the…hey!" He had just enough time to grab one of her arms as she was half submerged in the sea. She trashed around a little bit but he was able to pull her up and hold on to her. As he gathered himself he huffed in agitation. "What is wrong with you?" He asked angrily. He looked down at her and all his anger faded away. She was shaking in his grasp with her head low, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. "Quistis." He called to her softly, she didn't respond. "Quistis." He said a little louder.

She wriggled out of his grip and sat down again, the water from her legs and dress soaking the wood. She looked up at him, sobbing as he knelt down next to her. He reached out to wipe the tears that fell from her eyes but she swatted his hand away and wiped them away herself. She stared at him, her face clear under the full moon. Despite the situation, she was practically glowing. Her pale skin was radiant, her hair shining, and her eyes sparkling with tears and the reflection of the moon. Seifer wanted to touch her to make sure she was real, but he didn't.

He couldn't look at anything but her. She was beautiful. Her hair was out of her face in curls pulled into a ponytail. She was wearing a light blue summer sleeveless dress that now stuck to her legs as the water dripped down. Here eyes squeezed shut as she cried openly. His eyes were fixated on the way her lips moved as she sobbed. Her hands went up to cover her face and he felt disappointed that he couldn't look at her anymore.

He took this moment to look around. Aside from her crying the only other sound was the soft crash of the waves on the shore. He looked to the sky for an escape for this awkward situation. He thought of what he could say instead of what he should say. The more she cried the more he wanted to reach out and touch her, hold her, hold her hand, just to make it better again. He was right next to her but it seemed so far. He took another moment to look up at the moon then back at her. Regardless of how stupid he thought the situation was, he knew it was his fault. And regardless that he thought she was overreacting, it didn't change the fact that her feelings were hurt and she was now crying.

"Earlier, when we were…"He trailed off because he didn't really know how to finish that sentence. "I shouldn't have left you like that." She still had her face covered as she cried. "I haven't seen Rinoa in so long and when she asked me to dance with her..." He stopped when Quistis started crying harder. "Quistis," he pulled her hands away from her facing, holding on to them when she tried to pull away, "I didn't mean for you to get hurt." He ducked his head down to look at her downcast face. "You know that right? You're one of my best friends."

She looked up at him, fire in her eyes. As if she didn't believe anything he said. She wanted to, but his actions told a whole different story. She took into account that she was emotionally distraught, but that didn't distort her recollection of what had happened. He literally left her for another woman when they were in the middle of sharing a moment. Whether or not they would have kissed was not the point.

"Quistis, I'm sorry." He let go of her hands to pull her into a hug. The force of his movements nearly made them both fall over. The contact only made her cry harder still. And Seifer was at a loss of what else he could do to make her forgive him.

"Please stop crying." He felt her hands cling to fistfuls of his shirt as she buried her face in his neck. "I'm sorry."

He pulled her chin up so they were facing one another. She was taking in deep shuddering breaths. He wiped the streaks of tears from her cheeks even as she continued to cry. He gave her a nervous smile, closed his eyes and tenderly touched his lips to hers.


End file.
